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Application Interaction
When you look at the clipboard viewer, you should see that the
Windows clipboard has limited the data when presented in certain
'flavors'. When you use the ole link, you lose rows and/or columns.
If the link is not required, you may be able to get more of the data
into AutoCAD by using the Paste Special option from the menu and
choosing an option like 'AutoCAD Objects'.
When you paste pie/bar graphs from Excel into AutoCAD, they can
exhibit all the problems of a typical OLE insert, including plot rotation,
etc. Use this procedure to 'shake off' the OLE.
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Block/Attribute
When building the block definition, the selection order is the key. If
you simply window off the geometry there is a good possibility the
prompt order will not be as desired. When selecting objects for a block
definition, first individually pick the attribute definitions individually in
the order you want to be prompted, then select the rest of the
geometry.
This procedure will explain how to create a coordinate label block that
updates as you move or copy it.
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Block Base
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Failure to do this can mean confusion. For example if you create your
block geometry on layer BLOCKGEOM, then insert them on a layer like
INSERTS, you will find that layer INSERTS cannot be purged, even
though there are no visible objects (when the layer BLOCKGEOM is
frozen). In this case the invisible insertion point prevents the layer
purging.
Cloning Blocks
You can use AutoCAD's Block Editor to create copies of a block. Simply
issue the BEDIT command, choose the source block, then use the Block
Editors 'Save Block As' icon and designate the new name.
Construct/Draw
When inserting blocks (or entire drawings) from a seperate DWG file, it
may not come in 'attached' to the cursor, or in the right place. When
preparing a drawing and its geometry to become 'insertable' into
another drawing, you must consider its coordinates and then optionally
the BASE variable. The preferred method for blocks is to move the
geometry from the desired 'anchor' to coordinates of 0,0,0. If you
don't want to do that, you should issue the BASE command and pick a
point at the anchor.
Another problem scenario to watch out for is when the geometry has
been moved to 0,0 and the current drawing had a base other than 0,0.
In this case simply issue the BASE command and type in 0,0,0.
Some offset distances are greater than specified?
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variable.
Relative Coordinates
Relative Polar: You specify the distance and angle to the next point.
The following example indicates the next point 15 units away at a 45
degree angle. (Example)To Point: @15<45
Relative Cylindrical: Much like relative polar except you have the ability
to designate the amount of rise or drop at the new point. The following
example indicates the next point 15 units away at a 45 degree angle,
but also is 6 units lower. (Example)To Point: @15<45,-6
Command: CIRCLE
Specify center point for circle or [3P/2P/Ttr (tan tan radius)]: 'CAL
>> Expression: MEE
>> Select one endpoint for MEE:
>> Select another endpoint for MEE:
The key is when prompted for any point, enter 'CAL and type in the
expression. In the case of MEE it knows you want endpoints and you
don't have to use an object snap when picking. Also bear in mind that
MEE is only one of dozens of expressions available at the prompt.
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First you need to set the appropriate units in the DDUNITS command.
Set the angular units to 'Surveyor', then choose the direction button
and make sure that 'Angle Direction' = east, 'Rotation' = counter
clockwise. Even though you have set to Surveyors Units it won't work
right unless set this way.
Then using the LINE or PLINE command you enter the calls as relative
polar coordinates.
Command: LINE
Start Point: (Pick One)
Next Point: @123.45<N45D30'15"E
Next Point: @234.56<S25D10'10"W
Notice the syntax for the relative polar coordinate. You put the @ sign
first, which means relative to the last point. Next comes the distance.
Last is the bearing. Its enclosed in the quadrant NE, NW, SE, SW, note
the use of letter D to indicate the degrees.
Display
When you pick objects at the command prompt, they highlight and
grips appear. On the object properties toolbar the layer and/or color of
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the object usually appear so that you can change them. But on some
systems this stops working. This is because the noun/verb selection
has been turned off. Simply type DDSELECT at the command prompt
and turn on the 'Noun/Verb Selection' toggle. The Object properties
toolbar will start working again.
When you press F2 and look back at the command history, you may
notice that at some point it stops. The default number of lines is set to
400. On R14 you could change it in the preferences dialog.
Unfortunately 2000 and higher has regressed. You have to use a to lisp
expression setting like MaxHatch.
Almost all AutoCAD users utilize the command line area to some
extent. Recent versions of AutoCAD allow it to be turned off and it can
be as easy as accidentally pressing Ctrl + 9. You can use these
commands to control it.
Command: _CommandlineHide
Command: _Commandline
If you don't use a UCS you might as well use UCSICON off. If you do
you might want to keep it in the lower left corner. Use the 'Origin' and
'No Origin' options of the UCSICON command to control the position of
the UCSICON.
GEOMARKERVISIBILITY
You may open a drawing and find what has been described as a "black
daisy" in the viewport that you can't get rid of. This is the AutoCAD
GeoMarker and it's controlled by the GEOMARKERVISIBILITY variable.
Simply enter that at the command prompt and enter a new value of 0.
Fields
Using FIELDS
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Note that initially, this field will appear as four dashes, but it will be
automatically updated by AutoCAD every time you plot! Take a few
minutes to review some of the other field names on the left, the use of
fields can greatly expand the capabilities of your drawings!
Hatches
AutoCAD versions 2000 and later do not use the ACAD.PAT/SLB at all.
Instead of putting all the definitions in the ACAD.PAT, it is best to put
each pattern definition in a separate PAT file. The path where these
PAT files reside must be in the AutoCAD support paths as well. There is
some benefit to using a short path such as C:\CADSTUFF, because the
BHATCH dialog shows the path before the patten name, and long paths
make the pattern name fall off to the right of the list.
To select your custom pattern, issue the BHATCH dialog and choose
the pattern select button {...}, then choose the Custom tab to select
your pattern.
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Images
By installing the Raster Design Enabler, you can add support for
additional image formats (such as MrSID) to your basic AutoCAD.
Simply visit the link below to download the appropriate enabler for the
version of AutoCAD. After you install it, check your image insert 'files
of type' popdown for the new formats.
This is of course unsupported (including by us), and while we haven't
tested all the formats, we have confirmed the addition of the MrSID
and ECW format.
Begin the IMAGECLIP command, enter N for New boundary, then P for
Polygonal and pick the points in this order. Note that picks for C/I and
D/H are the same location.
E F
--------x----x ----
| | | |
| D x x G ---> /----
| H | /
B x C x | ----/
| I | | |
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A x----x-------- ----
J
Any number of points can be used, just make sure you follow the path
back to the point of beginning. A second procedure can be used to
create a blank hole in an image. In this case C/J and D/I are the same
points.
C J
B x--------x-------x K +--------x-------x
| I | | | |
| E x x H x | ---> | +----+----+ |
| D | | | CLEAR | |
| F x G x | | +---------+ |
| | | |
A x---------------- L +----------------+
Finally, make sure IMAGEFRAME is turned off. Note that this newsletter
is sent in plain text. If your mail tool is set to force a proportional font,
these character graphics may be skewed.
Inquiry
Horizontal Distance
Command: DIST
Specify first point: .XY of *PICK* (need Z): 0
Specify second point: .XY of *PICK* (need Z): 0
You can use the Find command to select blocks by their attribute
values. Use this procedure.
Interface
Starting with AutoCAD 2004, you can find a compromise between the
old rightclick=enter, and the new rightclick=menu. A new 'time
sensitive right click' gives you the best of both worlds.
When this is turned on, a quick click of the right mouse button is the
same as pressing enter. Holding down the right mouse button longer
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1. Command: OPTIONS
2. Choose the 'User Preferences' tab.
3. Turn on 'Shortcut menus in drawing area'.
4. Choose the 'Right-click Customization' button.
5. Turn on 'Time Sensitive Right Click'.
6. Change interval if desired.
Classic Commands
For those running AutoCAD for a long time, the new image and xref
dialogs are a big change. To access the old versions of the dialog, use
the CLASSICIMAGE and CLASSICXREF commands.
Layers
If you begin working with a large number of layers (around 200), you
may notice that the layers are not sorted in the layer dialog. Instead
they are shown in the order they were created. AutoCAD uses a
system variable MAXSORT to control how many layers to sort on layer
control as well as how many files to sort on file open. Simply type in
MAXSORT at the command prompt and put in a numeric value larger
than the default value of 200. This value is stored in the configuration
files and won't need to be reentered in your next drawing.
A trick in AutoCAD that has been around for the longest time is a layer
name that won't plot regardless of its status. Create a layer in your
drawing called DEFPOINTS. Use it to place notes to yourself,
construction lines, etc. It also an excellent layer to put paper space
viewports into, since the frames don't plot.
If you want your layer dialog to show only layers in the current
drawing and exclude all xrefs, create a filter with a name like NOXREF,
then put this in for the layer name "~*|*" (without the quotation
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marks).
Later versions of AutoCAD have the ability to delete all named layer
filters quickly.
Beginning with AutoCAD 2005, you can copy the contents of the layer
dialog to the clipboard for pasting into other applications, mainly for
printing. With the dialog displayed, issue the Ctrl+A keystroke
combination to select all the records, then use Ctrl+C to copy the
contents to the clipboard.
Starting with AutoCAD 2008, the layer dialog has a new icon just to the
right of the 'New Layer' icon. Use it to create a new layer that will be
frozen in all existing layout viewports!
For those who want faster response or those that like the old way
better, use the ClassicLayer command to initiate the old dialog.
If you need to make changes to all (or most) layers in a drawing, with
this dialog displayed press Ctrl+A (or right click and choose Select All),
then click the operation. For example, if you click the linetype (or
other) fields you are making changes to all selected items in the list.
If there are items you wish to exclude hold Ctrl while clicking to
deselect them.
An extra tip along these lines. You can press Ctrl+C to copy the
properties of the selected rows to the clipboard, ready to paste into
other applications like MS Excel, etc.
Layouts
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This is a bug in AutoCAD that still remains. Click here for a (confusing
at best) explanation by Autodesk.
Linetypes
Sometimes it seems that no matter how you try, you can't get line
types with breaks to show the breaks. First thing to remember is that
3D polylines in AutoCAD cannot display a line type, nor can they have
width or contain arcs for that matter. However, most other objects
should if things are set right.
If this still doesn't display the linetype's properly, you probably have
polylines with vertices that are close together. To correct this use
DDMODIFY, select the polyline, and turn on the LTGEN toggle in the
dialog.
When using text in linetypes it's often difficult to control the direction
the text reads, especially in arcs. For true arcs you would need to
convert them to polylines, using PEDIT. Next, be aware of the effect of
polyline generation. This flag needs to be turned on for the polyline to
honor the direction. This flag can be set using the PROPS dialog.
Lastly, you may need to reverse the polyline to control the reading
direction.
Modify
Many AutoCAD users only think of the MOVE command for moving a
selection set of objects in an XY direction. Don't overlook the fact that
the MOVE command can work perfectly for moving objects up and
down the Z axis as well. To change elevations of objects where you
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know the distance you want to raise or lower, use this procedure.
Where ZDIFF is the amount you want to raise or lower. Use a negative
number to lower and a positive one to raise.
Misbehaving Trim/Extend
There are times when you would like to erase all of a particular object
type from a drawing, such as Wipeouts and Proxy objects. Paste in the
following at the command prompt, then press enter.
You can use this same syntax and replace the object type at the end of
the statement. For example on proxies replace "WIPEOUT" with
"ACAD_PROXY_ENTITY".
Toggling Groups
If you have a group, you can toggle the status of group selection with
Ctrl+Shift+A on newer versions or simply Ctrl+A on older releases. The
command line will echo the status of the toggle.
Objects
Object Cycling
Object Cycling has been around since R13, but isn't a widely known
ability, perhaps because it's not a command. Whenever you are at the
'Select Objects' prompt and have overlapping objects, simply hold
down the Ctrl key as you pick a location. AutoCAD will cycle through
the objects at that location, highlighting each one until you accept one
and move on.
AutoCAD R14 brought with it many new object types. Many of these
such as images are widely accepted. Many more (such as XLINE and
RAY objects) remain underutilized.
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RAY objects work like XLINE, except they extend infinitely only in one
direction. This can be used for radial construction lines from a single
point.
They are custom objects that require the presence of the application
that generated them to be 'fully' functional. Sometimes when the
application is absent they will still appear/plot the same but you can't
edit them or acquire information about them. Sometimes you might
even get a box with an X through it as in the case of the RTEXT object.
The AEC group of Autodesk deserves credit for releasing the recent
versions of the Object Enabler. It is free and allows recipients of
drawings with their proxies to see and do more with the otherwise
impossible representation.
Paper Space
When you have two or more paper space viewports that overlap or are
contained within another, it can be difficult to impossible to switch with
the mouse pointer. Therefore the keyboard command for this can be
indispensable. The keyboard command USED TO BE Ctrl+V, but since
Windows knows this as paste, Autodesk changed the command. The
new command sequence is Ctrl+R.
It's not widely known that the PSLTSCALE variable has an independent
setting on each layout. After you set the value for one layout, you may
need to switch to other layouts and set it as appropriate.
Layout Limit
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PDF Related
Its recently came to our attention that many scanners come with
software that scans old drawings to a PDF, and that users are doing
just that. The follow up is how to put that in AutoCAD.
This is a waste of time and effort. The most efficient way is to scan to
a raster file and use AutoCAD's IMAGE command to attach the image
to the drawing. Avoid using JPG format, while it works well for photos
it does not work well with line drawings. Use the PNG format if
available, or use TIF if not.
PdfUnderlay Performance
Some users are reporting slow performance when they use the new
PdfUnderlay functionality in 2009 (w/subscription) and 2010. It mostly
depends on the content of the PDF, which can often be a bloated mess.
Not all PDF creators are equal. For example, while one driver may
write out text as a lean text element, another may (especially if its
width factor is changed) write out each letter as a large collection of
filled triangles. Take for example this innocent looking letter "S", which
contained 471 objects!
AutoCAD doesn't know it's a letter S and has to treat it with as much
importance as any other part of your file. This users file (PDF Size
1.2mb) contained nearly 325,000 objects that obviously was bogging
down AutoCAD.
You can turn off the PDFOSNAP system variable to improve snaps.
Not all PDFs contain geometry that AutoCAD can snap to. Many times
the PDF is a scanned image that has such high resolution that the
content looks like linework. You can usually zoom in tightly to begin to
see the jagged edges of an image. Check your PDFOSNAP system
variable; it should be set to 1.
Plotting
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First is the simple to use (but less control) command called BMPOUT. It
creates a Windows Bitmap .BMP file, appropriate for Paintbrush but not
ready for a web page. It captures the whole drawing viewport so center
your drawing as well as possible before issuing the command. The
following procedures can be used to 'plot' your drawing to a raster file.
Setup:
Usage:
You may wonder why the PNG file was chosen. It is a clean highly
compressed format. In comparison, the JPG (JPEG) format is absolutely
NOT a desireable format for representing linework in raster format.
While JPEG is fine for photographs, it is a 'lossy' compression and will
produce noticable 'snow' on line drawings, expecially diagonal lines.
The PNG file is your best choice for raster output. It is very compact in
size and is a 'loseless' compression. It can be displayed by all 'current'
web browsers as well.
Some may not know that in newer versions of AutoCAD which support
the new layouts that you can select multiple layouts to plot. At the
command prompt, simply hold down the control key and click on each
layout you want to plot, or use shift to select a range. Once you've got
the desired layouts selected you issue the plot command.
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the |Plot and Publish| tab. In the lower left you can turn the system
on/off and control the settings.
The settings dialog allows you to designate when the publish is to take
place, where the files go, etc. Various options exist in 2010 for things
like layer information, merge control, and more.
Polylines
As you probably know, using the Spline option ofthe PEDIT command
creates a splined polyline but the path of the spline does not run
through the original control points. In contrast the spline created with
the SPLINE command does run through thecontrol points and is the
end result you want. Back on the negativeside the SPLINE command
has an option to convert an existing polyline, but only one that has
been splined. The converted spline is still not what you want.
You may have noticed that when you go to the ARC mode within the
PLINE command, the first and consectutive arcs are tangent to the
previous segment. To create a tangent line off the last segment, first
press L for Line mode, then press a second L for Length. Pick or enter
a distance and the segement drawn will be tangent off the last arc. Its
the 2nd L that does the trick.
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If you are creating them with the PLINE command you can assign the
elevation with the first pick. In response to the start point enter .XY
and press enter (or space), AutoCAD will let you pick the point then
asks for the elevation. All remaining picks will be on that elevation.
Command: PLINE
Specify start point: .XY of *PICK LOCATION* (need Z): 1300
Security
When installing, consider choosing the Custom Install, and turn off the
Drawing Encryption option in Special Features. After installation use
this procedure.
1. Choose Start > Settings > Control Panel.
2. Choose Add/Remove Programs.
3. Find AutoCAD on the list.
4. Choose the [Change] button.
5. Choose 'Add or Remove Features'
6. Choose 'Drawing Encryption'
7. Choose 'Entire Feature will be unavailable'
8. Choose [Next] until complete.
Splines
The new SPLINE objects introduced in R13 are nice, but there arelimits
on what you can do with them. So conversion to a polyline is
necessary. Carefully erase all the geometry except for the splines, then
save the drawing in R12 DWG (A2K users use R12 DXF) format. Then
open the original drawing, erase the splines and insert the R12 file.The
spline will now have become polylines. If the splines haddiffering
elevations on the vertices, the resulting polyline will be a 3D polyline.
For ToolPac users, use Convert > Splines > To Polylines. For others
SPL2PL.VLX in the Free Stuff section will convert, but does not contain
the arc option like the one in ToolPac.
System Variables
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Also note that when creating lightweight polylines, the elevation of the
first snap will determine the elevation. After that, any snap to other
elevations will be ignored.
What is TREEDEPTH?
Users with HUGE drawings may want to consider changing the value of
the TREEDEPTH variable. It controls the AutoCAD Oct-Tree Spatial
Index, which specifies the number of times the tree-structured spatial
index may divide into branches. Setting the value to -3020 flattens the
Z index giving you more granular nodes in the XY which yields faster
object selection. It has no effect on the elevations of your objects.
If you want the ellipse command to create polylines instead of the true
mathematical ellipses, set the PELLIPSE variable to 1.
This controls whether AutoCAD picks the elevation of the snap point,
the default being 0 (use the Z value). If you change the variable
setting to 1, AutoCAD will use the value of the ELEVATION system
variable instead. This can be very useful in an elevated drawing when
you don't want newly drawn geometry to take on the elevations of the
existing geometry.
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If you have existing polylines created while the PLINEGEN variable was
turned off, you can use the PROPS dialog to turn the linetype
generation back on.
To check the status of certain system variables, you can use the
SETVAR command. After issuing the command, enter ? to begin the
list, then apply an optional filter. For example entering DIM* will show
all the dimension variables.
Tables
Text/Mtext
Basically the formula is to use the ^ carat symbol along with the same
number of spaces as you have characters to shift up/down. In my
example above I would enter this into the MTEXT editor dialog box,
there are three spaces after the ^, two to balance the shift of the 'rd'
and a third for the natural space between the words. In the MTEXT
editor I would highlight the 5 characters "rd^ ", then press the A/B
stacking button in the dialog. The 'rd' then becomes superscript. To
achieve subscript simply reverse the order putting the spaces and
carat first, for example " ^rd".
When you need a selection set of text objects that contains a word or
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word fragment, you can call upon the FILTER command to help. When
at the select objects prompt, type 'FILTER and press enter. Pull down
the Selected Filter and choose Text Value from the list. In the X field
enter the text fragment you are looking for with appropriate *'s
included. For example *LINE* will find all text string with the wordLINE
anywhere in the string.
Changes in the default behavior make it difficult for those who still
place single line text in various locations. To restore the previous
behavior, enter DTEXTED at the command prompt and enter a value of
1.
The new method of editing small mtext (especially when rotated) can
be difficult with the in-place editor. To bring back the old method,
enter MTEXTED at the command prompt and enter OLDEDITOR. If you
need to change it back, enter the command again and put in the
previous value of INTERNAL.
Background Masks
Recent versions of AutoCAD have provided the best way to mask the
content under mtext objects. Unlike all other approaches, the built-in
functionality grows/shrinks with the mtext content. To control the
mask, make sure your Properties dialog is displayed (command PROPS)
then select your mtext.
In the PROPS dialog you will see Background Mask, click the [...]
button to bring up a dialog where you can toggle the status as well as
control the size, color, etc. Note that in AutoCAD 2007 you can only
turn the mask on/off.
When using the background masking of Mtext, the extents of the box
often reflects the window used when creating the mtext. To resize this
box to the minimum, double click the mtext object to bring up the
mtext editor, then double click the <> icon in the ribbon that is just
above it in the ruler bar.
Customization
Users often come across usable code they want to add to their systems
but don't know how to proceed. You may obtain a file with the
extension LSP, VLX, DVB, etc. Another case is lisp code in the form of
text on a newsgroup or web page. In this case we need to get it into a
file with this first procedure.
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Also, it's highly recommended that you create a dedicated folder (like
C:\CADSTUFF) to place these files. If you place them in the AutoCAD
folder they may be removed if you upgrade/reinstall.
1. Command: APPLOAD
2. Choose the (Contents) button in the Startup Suite.
3. Choose the (Add) button, then browse to the location of the code
file and select it.
4. Choose the (Close) button to close the Startup Suite.
5. Choose the (Close) button to close the Appload Dialog.
From this point forward, the commands defined in these code files
should be available in future sessions without needing to load them
each time.
On starting the CUI command you may receive alerts about unresolved
files that can no longer be found. To clean these up, expand the 'Partial
Customization Files' section and look along the list for items with an
(Unresolved) suffix. If you can't resolve the item, right click and choose
'Unload'.
Other Information
Tiny URLs
This is not CAD specific but is still worth mentioning. Sometimes when
you try to refer to a long link URL in an email or news post, the link
can become broken because the mail/news tool wraps the link into two
(or more) lines. Unknowing users are frustrated because the link
doesn't appear to work when they click it, and even experienced users
have to paste it into a notepad and remove the line breaks.
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(defun C:CHGPREV ()
(setq sset (ssget "P"))
(if sset
(progn
(sssetfirst sset sset)
(command "_.PROPERTIES")
)
)
)
If you would like to start AutoCAD 2000, but don't want a blank empty
drawing, and you are not using the 'Startup Dialog' you can put this in
your ACAD.LSP and it'll create this effect.
(defun-q mystartup ()
(while (eq 1 (logand 1 (getvar "CMDACTIVE"))))
(command "_CLOSE")
)
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It may be tempting to place the (regapp) code at the top of your LISP
code so that you won't have any problems adding EED during your
application. But doing so changes the status of the DBMOD, and
disables the already fragile ability to DXFIN. Place the (regapp) in the
specific function that creates/modifies the object, right before the code
that actually creates it.
On the subject, its not a bad idea to check to see if its already
registered like:
In AutoCAD, other than the DWG file, there are other files you are
working with, whether you know it or not.
1. BAK files: Unless you turn it off in OPTIONS, when you save a
drawing that already exists on file, the .DWG is renamed to .BAK,
then the new data is written to .DWG. Don't rely on this for true
safety of your files, because .BAK files have been known to
become corrupt.
2. AC$ Files: These are temporary files created by AutoCAD during
the process of creating the drawing. They are only of value to
AutoCAD during editing and are usually cleaned up when
AutoCAD closes. These files are useless if AutoCAD crashes.
3. SV$ Files: These are autosave files, controlled by the setting
inthe OPTIONS dialog. These files are the equivalent of a DWG,
you would only need to rename them if AutoCAD crashes. It's
important to note that if AutoCAD closes normally, these files are
deleted!
Save yourself a second and eliminate some visual noise every time you
start AutoCAD by turning off the logo. Right click on your launch icon
and choose Properties. On the Shortcut tab, in the Target field,
carefully append a space and the /nologo switch.
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4. In the 'Files & Folders' section, turn off the toggle on 'Hide
extensions for known file types'.
5. Choose OK (extensions should now show).
6. Left click on the BAK file to highlight it.
7. Right click and choose Rename (or press F2).
8. Change the name to something like RECOVER.DWG.
9. Open the file as normal in AutoCAD.
Note that AutoCAD has been known to sometimes corrupt the BAK file
as well.
If you find yourself in this situation, you can usually save the file in a
DXF format, then reopen it to strip the message. If you're concerned
about files of this nature lying in wait to be batch plotted, you can scan
for these files with a tool from ManuSoft.
EDU-Scan at http://www.manusoft.com/Software/EDU-Scan/Index.stm
Because it's not shown on the AutoCAD menus, it's often overlooked.
For recent versions of AutoCAD, click the Windows Start Menu, choose
Programs > Autodesk > AutoCAD. In the same group as the AutoCAD
launch you will find the Reference Manager, which can be used to
repath xrefs, images, etc.
Many AutoCAD users don't realize that after installation their system
still needs service packs applied. Failure to do this can mean that they
suffer through problems that have already been fixed. Autodesk does
a good job of making service packs available for all the versions you
are likely to run. We found patches going all the way back to R12 for
DOS!
First there was the DOS copy command, then people discovered XCOPY
which was faster and more capable. Now there is a third generation
called ROBOCOPY, which stands for 'Robust Copy'. Take for instance
the need to create an exact backup of an entire drive to a folder on
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another drive, including the ability to remove files from the copy if they
have been deleted from the source. Essentially a mirror backup!
Although interest has dimenished over the past few years, users still
want to work with Slide (SLD) and Slide Library (SLB) files. One
process thats not well known is how to view a slide that is contained
within a slide library. Use this procedure:
Command: FILEDIA
Enter new value for FILEDIA <1>: 0
Command: VSLIDE
Enter name of slide file to view <Drawing1>: ACAD(ANSI31)
Command: FILEDIA
Enter new value for FILEDIA <0>: 1
Command: REDRAW
Note the syntax on the VSLIDE command. You specify the library
name, then the slide name in parenthesis.
While Autodesk provided a service pack for this case, there was a
remaining issue with file dialogs (they constantly show as large icons).
To fix this, use this procedure.
The Design Center included with AutoCAD several versions back can be
used for many purposes. To launch it you can use the ADCENTER
command or the alias DC.
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drawing will not be imported, only the definition (including the default
color, linetype, etc).
Backup/Restore Profiles
Backup Procedure:
Restore Procedure:
Reference Manager
Many users are not aware of this tool because it's not on the menus
inside AutoCAD. Instead use Start > All Programs > Autodesk >
AutoCAD and you will find a shortcut. If you need additional control
take a look at ToolPac's Repath tool.
Disappearing Dialogs
For those comfortable with RegEdit, you can find the dialog's
coordinates in this area.
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Autodesk\AutoCAD\R##.0
\ACAD-####:###\Profiles\YourProfileName\Dialogs\DialogName
Once the item is found, changing the first two numbers to 0,0 should
push it back to the upper left.
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For those that still use the 'Command Prompt' in Windows for what
some call the 'DOS box', you can now cycle through folders when using
the CD command. After typing CD, press the Tab key to cycle forward
through available folders, Shift+Tab to cycle backwards.
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Unauthorized duplication is a violation of federal law.
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